Maris’ lips landed gently, and I held my breath upon contact, my eyes open wide.
She inched away briefly to look at me, then pulled me closer, adding pressure to the next kiss.
There was sweetness in the way she held me. A kind of longing, desperate to be filled. She was clinging tightly to my shoulders, and I could only sit still, too shocked to do anything else.
Maris cupped my cheeks before pulling away slowly. “Do something, Irene,” she breathed before my lips. “Kiss me back if you want. Push me away if you don’t. But do something. Say something.”
I felt like my brain had shut down the whole time, and the only thing left was silence. But Maris waited. Like what she had done all this time. All these years.
“I still can’t believe it,” I finally said, looking down. “That girl you were telling me about…”
Maris lifted my chin and I met her gaze.
